Machine Tools - Small Precision Drill Presses

This article describes how to buy a small precision drill press. It also describes some popular models and links to the companies that are manufacturing them.

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Introduction

A drill press is used mainly as a boring tool, but its other useful features make it the most reasonable machine for drilling. A wide range of accessories is available for drill presses, and these accessories increase the utility of the machine. The drill press provides the capability to control the diameter, depth, and angle of the hole during drilling, but you can also use one for sanding, grinding, shaping, and mortising as well.

A small drill press is used for drilling very small holes with high precision. They are used for soft materials such as gold, wood, brass, etc. Some important points to buy a good small drill press are given below.

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Keep in mind few things before going to buy small drill press

• Check the concentricity of the drill press according to your requirement.

• Check the grasp capacity of the drill press. If the drill press grasps the material tightly, your work will be easier.

• Check the speed of the motor and spindle. The speed provided by the drill press must be variable. This will help you to work according to the requirement of speed for the material used.

• Choose the drill machine that has smooth working surface. Ideally, the working surface is attached perpendicular to the axis of the drill. Don’t believe the labeled configuration, check the trueness of the table yourself.

• The most important thing is to check the feed of the drill press. If the feed is harsh, it means there is something wrong with the machine, and you will have trouble during your work. The feed must be smooth.

• Machines having a rack and pinion mechanism for the table provide more accuracy and smooth table adjustment.

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CAMERON SERIES 164

This small drill press is a very common. It has a single speed motor, and the spindle speed can be varied by three different speeds- 9,500, 17,000, and 30,000 RPM. It has a smooth rack and pinion feed and is capable of drilling small holes from 0.002" To 5/32". The spindles, pulleys, and motors are dynamically balanced, which makes for smoothness in the machine's operation. A plastic safety guard is used for the belt and pulley position.

Other products of this series are CAMERON MD-70 DEEP THROAT and CAMERON MD-90 MICRO MAX. More information is available in its website. This company is very old and has been making small drill presses since 1964.

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Microlux –Speed Mini Drill Press

This drill press is mainly developed for jewelers. This drill press can also be used for soft materials such as wood, plastics etc. The company is claiming that this machine can drill a ¼ inch hole through ¼ inch brass easily. This drill press is designed so that you can change the speed of drill according to your work in seconds. The sale price of this machine is $ 154.95, which is comparatively low. You can go to the company’s website for more information about the specifications and size of this drill press.

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Dumore Micro Drill

This small drill press can drill very small sized bits. The height of the drill press is approximately 1 foot. You can drill the bits of size down to 0.0135”. A rotating milled knob is used in this drill press. This milled knob is used for lifting the work holding platform towards drill bit.

The maximum speed of this drill press at no-load is 17,000 RPM due to its 1/16 HP motor. This drill press is best for small precision objects such as jewelry and circuit boards. The company also provides a chuck key and product manual with it. You can get more information in eBay . This product is available in the eBay market website.

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Levin Micro Drill Press

This is a very special type of drill press that can drill small holes under 1/8” diameter. This drill press can drill very small parts as compared to others. The table of this drill press is adjusted by rack and pinion mechanism instead of quill. This property makes it very sensitive. It provides 4 drilling speed because 2-step pulleys are used in both spindle and motor. You can go to Levin Lathe for more information about this product.